I, Protector
by yoda-is-cool
Summary: Padawan Nadae Dravvaadas' Master has assigned her to be an Ambassador for the Republic along with two other Jedi assigned by the Chancellor. As the Trade Federation continue their blockade on Naboo, Nadae may have to end up doing more than just negotiating peaceful settlements. First in the Little Bird Trilogy. Prequel to Famous Last Words. Set in TPM.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1  
>Negotiations<strong>

_Have you got room for one more troubled soul?_

_Sometimes I wish I wasn't destined for this life._

_I wait at the window wearing a face that I keep in jar by the door._

_Can you help me, my friend?_

* * *

><p>She wasn't feeling herself this time.<p>

She finished applying the white paint to her face and pulled her second hood over her head.

As Master Jinn had told her before they left, the negotiations should be short.

"Captain?"

The young Jedi turned her head towards the respectable elder. It wasn't unknown that her Master wasn't with her, but this time she felt uncomfortable without them.

"Yes, sir?"

"Tell them we wish to board at once."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>The doors of the Republic cruiser opened allowing the Ambassadors to step off the ship. There to greet them was a silver protocol droid.<p>

"I am TC-14 at your service. This way, please."

The Ambassadors followed the silver feminine droid down the hallways and into a conference room.

"I hope you honoured sirs with the most comfortable here." TC-14 said. "My masters will be with you shortly."

As soon as the droid left, one of the Jedi noticed that the other two immediately removed their brown hoods and turned to face out the large viewing window.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Obi-Wan, a twenty-five year old Padawan, looked grim about the whole situation.

"I don't sense anything." Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan's Master, spoke next.

"It's not about the mission, Master." Obi-Wan corrected. "It's something... elsewhere... elusive."

Nadae finally lowered her first hood, revealing her face which was covered in face mask, and traditional Naboo markings were painted on her face, keeping her home world obvious. Her first hood always remained in place, kept in place with the gold headpiece. It was clear that no actual flesh was displayed, as her black robes and gloves covered all besides her face. The only hair that could be seen was the white Padawan plait that stuck out from her robes at her neck.

Her looks deceived many beings, as she may appear older, she was only an eighteen year old Padawan.

"Don't centre on your anxiety, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon instructed Obi-Wan as Nadae took stance next to the window next to her friend. "Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs."

"But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future..." Nadae smiled at her old friend at the mention of the Grand Master.

"...but not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan."

"Yes, Master."

Nadae examined the pristine conference room they were situated in. Every single detail about it was absolutely perfect. "Now that I'm here, where am I?" she took her stance next to her friend.

Obi-Wan wasn't sure whether to take Nadae's words with seriousness or humour.

"Perhaps it will be more believable that we're at Naboo if we descend." Qui-Gon replied. "But for now I think the view will be enough."

"... How do you think the Trade Viceroy will deal with the Chancellor's demands?" Obi-Wan asked his Master.

"These Federation types are cowards." Qui-Gon put forward simply. "The negotiations will be short."

Qui-Gon moved to sit at the conference table. Nadae kept her gaze out the window to her home planet of Naboo.

Obi-Wan placed a hand to her shoulder. "The Master's say we shouldn't be pondering on the past." He warned, then sat down opposite Qui-Gon.

Nadae nodded. It wasn't that she was pondering on the past. She wasn't on Naboo long enough to remember it.

She had always wondered what growing up on Naboo would have been like.

* * *

><p>"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?" Obi-Wan complained.<p>

The door to the conference room slid open, and TC-14 entered with a tray of drinks.

"No..." Qui-Gon shook his head and accepted a drink from the droid. "I sense an unusual amount of fear for something as trivial as this trade dispute."

Nadae took a drink for herself and sniffed the rim. "I sense there's a much bigger motivation to this than we thought." She deemed her drink safe and took a small sip. "Don't suppose it's because we're Jedi?"

Qui-Gon turned his gaze to Obi-Wan and narrowed his glare, warning Obi-Wan that Nadae may be right.

* * *

><p>TC-14 entered the room again with a tray of drinks, offering one to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon who both took one. Nadae took one out of politeness, sniffed the rim and placed it on the table without taking a sip.<p>

The three Jedi could feel it in the Force, as well as in the ground. _Our ship…_ Nadae confirmed in her mind. All three leapt up and pulled out their lightsabers. TC-14 became startled and dropped the drinks at the close proximity of Obi-Wan's blue sword.

Nadae only found it necessary to activate one end of her lightsaber, the green blade at the ready in case anything threatening entered the room.

But as nothing did, the Jedi turned off their lightsabers, listening intently at another faint, hissing sound.

"Dioxin!" Obi-Wan confirmed as a gas slowly entered the room.

"Well… great." Nadae rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I hate it when I'm right."

And soon she felt a hand cover her nose and mouth.

"Stop breathing!" Obi-Wan stressed.

* * *

><p>"Check it out, Corporal." A Trade federation battle droid ordered his inferior. "We'll cover you."<p>

"Roger, roger."

The droid walked closer towards the gas filled room, inspecting to find three dead flesh bodies on the ground.

Instead, the Corporal was confronted by four laser blades out of the deadly fog.

"Uh-oh, blast them!"

The three Jedi began cutting down the Battle Droids as they fired at them. Obi-Wan jumped into the air and did a flip as he defected the laser bolts firing at him. Qui-Gon remained humble about his manoeuvres, keeping them simple, while Nadae had both blades of her double-bladed lightsaber out and twisting the hilt in her wrist, slicing through droids while deflecting bolts at perfect precision.

_Just like Master has taught me… _she always thought in every battle. _Exactly what Master has taught me…_

Qui-Gon defeated several more Battle Droids, creating a shower of sparks and metal parts as he fought his way towards the bridge door.

Nadae and Obi-Wan raised their hands, lifting up several Battle Droids and smashing them together mid-air.

"Our finest." Obi-Wan grinned as he held out his hand for Nadae to high-five, before turning around to defeat more droids.

Before Qui-Gon could make it to the bridge door, three blast doors shut before it. Not like that would stop Qui-Gon, as he recklessly pierced the doors again with his green lightsaber, melting the metal.

"Need help, Master?" Nadae left the battle scene to help Qui-Gon with the door, sending one end of her own lightsaber through the door.

"Quite fine, but your help is always a pleasure." Qui-Gon replied with strain.

"Nadae, Master, destroyers!"

Two ugly droids rolled down the hallway and stopped before the Jedi. As Qui-Gon and Nadae stopped penetrating the blast doors they began shooting laser bolts at the three, as a blue, clear shield appeared around them.

"They have shield generators." Obi-Wan observed.

"Well that defeats the purpose of being here." Nadae grumbled.

"Spelling it out isn't mandatory." Obi-Wan sassed back.

"It's a standoff." Qui-Gon said before the two broke out into a series of wars. "Let's go!"

Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Nadae left the hallway just outside the bridge with a Jedi's speed as the two destroyer droids turned around and continued shooting. The Jedi materialized at the far end of the hallway and dashed through a ventilation shaft that slammed shut. The droidekas continued to blast away at the three Jedi.

* * *

><p>The little, merry band of Jedi appeared out of a large vent in a loading hanger of the ship. Thousands of Battle Droids were being loaded onto landing craft.<p>

"Battle Droids." Qui-Gon confirmed.

"It's an invisible army." Obi-Wan said.

"This is an odd play for the Trade Federation." Qui-Gon educated the young Padawns.

"Don't suppose there's a hidden force behind the Trade Federation?" Nadae suggested. "What's their objective in this? _Why _Naboo?"

"I'm afraid you may be correct again, Padawan Dravvaadas." Qui-Gon considered Nadae's theory. "But we don't have enough time to talk tactics yet. We've got to warn the Naboo and contact Chancellor Valorum. Let's split up. Nadae, stay with Obi-Wan though-"

Obi-Wan playfully elbowed her. "Great quality time!"

"- I will stow aboard a separate ship and meet you down on the planet."

"You were right about one thing, Master." Obi-Wan stopped everyone before they could make their next moves. "The negotiations were short."

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes while Nadae's whole palm went to her forehead.

"If you do that too often," Obi-Wan pointed at Nadae. "You hit an eye out someday."

* * *

><p>I'M BACK.<p>

All I really gotta say is read. The reason I did prequels before sequels is because it'll make much more sense and introducing OC's at the right times (THERE'S A STASH MORE OF 'EM COMING) and I can do some real nasty foreshadowing.

- yoda-is-cool


	2. Otoh Gunga

**Chapter 2**  
><strong>Otoh Gunga<strong>

"You should be aware of where you step next time."

"You didn't have to do that. I was just fine."

"No you weren't!" Nadae stormed ahead of Obi-Wan. "If I hadn't pulled you away…"

"I didn't need saving!"

"Yes you did!"

"You don't have to be so assertive about it!" Obi-Wan flailed his arms around. "Ok, I'll admit that I may have need _a little _help but you don't need to be so grumbly about it."

Nadae turned around and stood in front of Obi-Wan. In the distance they could hear blasters and animals running, along with military transports crushing trees that stood in the way. The part of the forest that they were in seemed somewhat secluded to chaos that happened around them.

"The least you could do is say thank-you."

Obi-Wan's shoulders sagged. He held out his hand waiting for Nadae's response. "Look, we're alive. Could we focus on that? And you don't have to be so assertive for me to say thank-you, Little Bird."

Nadae sighed and high-fived Obi-Wan's open hand. "Alright." She calmed down. "We need to find Master Jinn."

"Great idea…" Obi-Wan said sarcastically.

Before Nadae could scold him for his sass, blaster bolts shot directly at them, only missing by a few centimetres. Nadae's lightsabers was immediately out and she started deflecting the bolts as droids marched towards them, but Obi-Wan's didn't seem to quite work as he hit it against his hand

"Oh blast…"

Nadae rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist, pulling him out of the clearing and into the trees, dodging and deflecting blaster shots.

The pair ran into another, bigger, clearing where the Jedi that they just happened to be looking for stood with a new creature who was pushed to the ground.

Qui-Gon helped Nadae with the droid as he turned on his lightsaber and defected their bolts with much better precision than Nadae, hitting them directly.

"Sorry, Master," Obi-Wan said as soon as the danger was over. "the water fried my weapon."

Obi-Wan pulled out his burnt lightsaber hilt. Qui-Gon inspected it, as the creature that was with Qui-Gon pulled himself out of the mud.

"You forgot to turn your power off again, didn't you?"

Obi-Wan nodded sheepishly. Nadae rolled her eyes again.

"I knew it, Obi-Wan."

"If you roll your eyes again, they may just fall out."

"It won't take long to recharge," Qui-Gon continued. "but this is a lesson I hope you've learned, my young Padawan."

"Yes, Master.

"Yousa sav-ed my again," The funny creature stood up.

"Who the…?" Nadae frowned.

"What's this?" Obi-Wan asked.

"A local." Qui-Gon introduced. "Let's go, before more of those droids show up."

"Mure? Mure did you spake?!"

"This is one hell of a welcome home party…" Nadae exasperated.

The three Jedi walked quickly ahead, as the strange Naboo creature followed in persuit.

"Ex-squeeze me! But da moto grande safe place would be Otoh Gunga. Tis where I grew up... Tis safe city."

The Jedi stopped and turned to the creature.

_This idiot might actually be useful…_

"A city?" Qui-Gon asked, as if not believing his ears. The creature nodded his head. "Can you take us there?"

"Ahhh, will... on second taut..." the creature suddenly became nervous. "No, not willy."

"No?" Qui-Gon was confused.

"Iss embarrissing, boot... My afrai my've bean banished. My forgoten der Bosses would do terrible tings to my. Terrible tings if my goen back dare."

In the distance, the pulsating of the military transports could be heard.

"You hear that?" Qui-Gon pointed into the distance.

The creature listened for the sound. "Yaa?"

"That's the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way..." Qui-Gon continued.

"When they find us," Obi-Wan smirked cheekily. "they will crush us, grind us into little pieces, then blast us into oblivion!"

"It's that," Nadae joined in. "or they send us into the prisons, bind us to a table and-"

"That's enough, Padawan." Master Jinn hled up his hand before Nadae's imagination could take over her speech.

But just saying that was enough for the creature to be very afraid. "Oh! Yousa point is well seen. Dis way! Hurry!"

* * *

><p>Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Nadae and the creature who was apparently named Jar-Jar made their way to the edge of a large lake.<p>

"Much farther?" Qui-Gon asked Jar-Jar who tried to catch his breath.

"Wesa goen underwater, okeyday?"

Nadae gulped.

The three Jedi pulled out their underwater breathing masks from their utility belts.

"My warning yous. Gungans no liken outlaunders. Don't expict a wern welcome."

"Don't worry," Obi-Wan said. "this has not been our day for warm welcomes."

Jar-Jar jumped into the air, did some sort of extravagant summersault twist, and dove into the water.

"Warning, the paint will come off." Nadae said as they went to the edge of the water.

With Qui-Gon stepping ahead, Obi-Wan held out his hand again for Nadae, waiting for her to hold on.

"No thanks. I am a Jedi." Nadae simply said to Obi-Wan, before placing the breathing mouthpiece between her lips, and waded into the water.

* * *

><p>They swam behind Jar-Jar, who seemed to be very much at home in the water. Down they swam into murky depths. In the distance the glow of Otoh Gunga, an underwater city made up of large bubbles, becomes more distinct.<p>

They approached the strange, art nouveau habitat. Nadae was impressed by the technology and architecture of the place Jar-Jar swam magically through one of the bubble membranes, which sealed behind him. The Jedi Master and Padawans followed.

Gungans in the square scattered when they saw the strange Jedi. Four guards armed with long electro-poles rode two-legged kaadus into the square. The guards pointed their lethal poles at the dripping gungan and Jedi

"Heyo-dalee, Cap'n Tarpals, Mesa back!" Jar-Jar waved happily.

"Noah gain, Jar Jar." Captain Tarpals began to warn. "Yousa goen tada Bosses. Yousa in big dudu this time."

"Yousa in big dudu this time." Obi-Wan mimicked into Nadae's ear, earning a smile. "You've matured." Obi-Wan gestured to Nadae's face. Now that the paint has disappeared, her features were much more defined. Her green eyes stood out more, her pale skin seemed tan after the white paint. If he looked closely enough, he would see that under her eyes was starting to darken.

She removed her gold head peace and lowered her hood, shaking out the wet white hair and letting it dry.

"It's strange seeing you without it," Obi-Wan admitted. "Little Bird. Not in about six years."

Nadae just looked at him softly. Much softer than normally. It was then that she simply stated, again, with a sweet, quiet voice, "I am a Jedi."

Captain Tarpals gave Jar-Jar a slight zap with his power pole. Jar-Jar jumped and moved off, followed by the three Jedi.

"How wude."

* * *

><p>The Bosses' Board Room had bubble walls, with small lighted fish swimming around outside like moving stars. A long circular judge's bench filled with gungan officials dominated the room. The Jedi stood facing Boss Nass, who sat on a bench higher than the others.<p>

"Yousa cannot bees hair. Dis army of mackineeks up dare tis new weesong!" he boomed.

"That droid army is about to attack the Naboo." Qui-Gon explained. "We must warn them."

"Wesa no like da Naboo! Un dey no like uss-ens. Da Naboo tink day so smarty den us-ens. Day tink day brains so big."

"After those droids take control of the surface, they will come here and take control of you." Obi-Wan argued.

"Neither you or the Naboo deserve to die." Persuaded Nadae. "if you don't help it will fall back onto you."

"No, mesa no tink so. Mesa scant talkie witda Naboo, and no nutten talkie it outlaunders. Dos mackineeks no comen here! Dey not know of uss-en."

"You and the Naboo form a symbiont circle." Obi-Wan kept testing his luck. "What happens to one of you will affect the other. You must understand this."

"Wesa wish no nutten in yousa tings, outlaunder, and wesa no care-n about da Naboo.

Qui-Gon had run out of patience. "Then speed us on our way." he waved his hand in front of the Boss.

"Wesa gonna speed yousaway."

"I love it when he does that." Nadae whispered to Obi-Wan.

"We need a transport." He waved his hand again

"Wesa give yousa una bongo. Da speedest way tooda Naboo tis goen through da core. Now go."

"Thank you for your help. We go in peace."

They turned to leave.

"Master, what's a bongo?" Obi-Wan asked.

"A transport, I hope." Qui-Gon replied.

"You hope?" Nadae had a lack of optimism.

Qui-Gon stopped. Jar-Jar gave him a forlorn look.

"Daza setten yous up." he warned. "Goen through da planet core is bad bombin!"

"Thank you, my friend."

"Ahhh... any hep hair would be hot."

Jar-Jar's soulful look was counterpointed by a sheepish grin from Master Jinn.

"We are short of time, Master." Obi-Wan said.

"Tick tock, tick tock goes the chrono." Whispered Nadae.

"We'll need a navigator to get us through the planet's core." Qui-Gon debated. "This gungan might be of help."

Qui-Gon walked back to Boss Nass.

"What is to become of Jar Jar Binks here?"

"Binkss brokeen the nocombackie law. Hisen to be pune-ished."

"He has been a great help to us. I hope the punishment will not be too severe."

"Pounded unto death!"

Jar-Jar grimaced. "Oooooh... Ouch!"

"These gungans, are we sure we can trust them?" Nadae turned to Obi-Wan, who simply shrugged in reply.

"We need a navigator to get us through the planet's core. I have saved Jar-Jar Binks' life. He owes me what you call a 'life debt'." Qui-Gon said.

"Binks. Yousa havena liveplay with thisen hisen?"

Jar-Jar nodded and joined the Jedi. Qui-Gon waved his hand again. "Your gods demand that his life belongs to me now."

Hisen live tis yos, outlauder. Begone wit him!"

"Count mesa outta dis! Better dead here, den deader in da core... Yee guds, whata mesa sayin?!" Jar-Jar kept talking to himself.

Nadae shrugged as they made their way towards the 'bongo'. "To hell with being afraid."

* * *

><p>So... ummmm... yeah... tbh can't wait for Darth Maul.<p>

- yoda-is-cool


End file.
